Philosophy: metaphysics and ontology Books

Book SynopsisIn order to perfectly describe the world, it is not enough to speak truly. In this ambitious and ground-breaking book, Theodore Sider argues that for a representation to be fully successful, truth is not enough; the representation must also use the right concepts-concepts that ''carve at the joints''-so that its conceptual structure matches reality''s structure. There is an objectively correct way to ''write the book of the world''.Sider''s argument begins from the assertion that metaphysics is about the fundamental structure of reality. Not about what''s necessarily true; not about what properties are essential; not about conceptual analysis; and not about what there is. While inquiry into necessity, essence, concepts, or ontology might help to illuminate reality''s structure, the ultimate goal is insight into this structure. Sider argues that part of the theory of structure is an account of how structure connects to other concepts. For example, structure can be used to illuminate lawTrade ReviewTwo issues have been heavily debated in recent metaphysics: a revival of the old meta-question concerning the substantivity of (at least some) metaphysical debates, and the first-order question of what we might or should mean by metaphysical 'fundamentality.' Theodore Sider addresses these and related matters with great care, sophistication, clarity, and originality. . . . a terrific achievement: profound, rigorously systematic, and full of clarifying insights and arguments. * Timothy O'Connor and Nickolas Montgomery, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *Sider works through an impressie list of philosophical problems and shows in each case how the idea of basic structure can help us address them ... there is much to applaud in this fascinating book. * A.W. Moore, London Review of Books *Siders book is a great and important milestone in contemporary metaphysics. I highly recommend it to all metaphysicians, although the reader has a mountain to climb. The book is rich in complex arguments requiring careful study, whether you are a realist or a deflationist. * László Kocsis, Philosophy in Review XXXIII *Table of Contents1. Structure ; 2. Primitivism ; 3. Connections ; 4. Substantivity ; 5. Metametaphysics ; 6. Beyond the predicate ; 7. Questions ; 8. Rivals ; 9. Ontology ; 10. Logic ; 11. Time ; 12. Modality ; 13. A Worldview ; References

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Book SynopsisWhat kind of animals are human beings? And how do our visions of the human shape our theories of social action and institutions? In Moral, Believing Animals, Christian Smith advances a creative theory of human persons and culture that offers innovative, challenging answers to these and other fundamental questions in sociological, cultural, and religious theory.Smith suggests that human beings have a peculiar set of capacities and proclivities that distinguishes them significantly from other animals on this planet. Despite the vast differences in humanity between cultures and across history, no matter how differently people narrate their lives and histories, there remains an underlying structure of human personhood that helps to order human culture, history, and narration. Drawing on important recent insights in moral philosophy, epistemology, and narrative studies, Smith argues that humans are animals who have an inescapable moral and spiritual dimension. They cannot avoid a fundamentaTrade Review'Well written and clearly argued, Moral Believing Animals is both a searching critique of recent social theory and an important first step toward the articulation of a richer model of human personhood, motivation, and culture.' * INSight *'A concise book that is enjoyable and easy to read, offering a far-reaching synthesis of a variety of philosophical and sociological approaches.... Smith masterfully situates many of the key current debates while calling attention to their historical origins and implicit assumptions.' * Contemporary Sociology *'An admirable model of wide-ranging and rich yet focused scholarship.' * The Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion *Table of ContentsINDEX

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Book SynopsisThe problem of free will is one of the great perennial issues of philosophy and has been discussed and debated over many centuries. The issues that arise in this sphere cover both metaphysics and morals and concern matters of central importance not only for philosophy but also for law, theology, psychology and the social sciences. What is at stake here is nothing less than our self-image as responsible moral agents who are in control of our own destiny and fate. The investigations and findings of modern science are judged by many to put skeptical pressure on this self-image and may challenge its credibility. During the past few decades the free will controversy has developed and evolved in exciting and significant ways. All the major parties involved in this debate have had to revise and amend their core positions with a view to responding to the sophisticated and searching arguments put forward by their critics and opponents. The papers collected in this volume represent the most essTrade ReviewThe essays collected in this volume have made incredible contributions to the free will debate. It is remarkable to have so many influential works collected in this way, and anyone interested in the free will debate would benefit greatly from having this collection close at hand. * William Simkulet, Metapsychology Online Reviews *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; I. The Free Will Problem - Real or illusory? ; 1. Thomas Nagel - Moral Luck ; 2. Daniel Dennett - Please Don't Feed the Bugbears ; II. Naturalism Against Scepticism ; 3. P. F. Strawson - Freedom and Resentment ; 4. Gary Watson - Responsibility and the Limits of Evil: Variations on a Strawsonian Theme ; III. The Consequence Argument ; 5. Peter van Inwagen - The Incompatibility of Free Will and Determinism ; 6. Dana Nelkin - The Consequence Argument and the Mind Argument ; IV. Responsibility and Alternative Possibilities ; 7. Harry Frankfurt - Alternate Possibilities and Moral Responsibility ; 8. Michael Otsuka - Incompatibilism and the Avoidability of Blame ; 9. Kadri Vihvelin - Free Will Demystified: A Dispositional Account ; V. Libertarian Alternatives - Soft and Hard ; 10. Robert Kane - Responsibility, Luck and Chance: Reflections on Free Will and Determinism ; 11. Randolph Clarke - Towards a Credible Agent-Causal Account of Free Will ; 12. Timothy O'Connor - Agent-Causal Power ; VI. Compatibilism: Hierarchical Theories and Manipulation Problems ; 13. Harry Frankfurt - Freedom of the Will and the Concept of a Person ; 14. Richard Double - Puppeteers, Hypnotists, and Neurosurgeons ; VII. Compatibilism: Reason-Based Alternatives ; 15. Susan Wolf - Sanity and the Metaphysics of Responsibility ; 16. John M. Fischer - My Compatibilism ; VIII. Autonomy and History ; 17. John Christman - Autonomy and Personal History ; 18. Michael McKenna - Responsibility & Globally Manipulated Agents ; IX. Scepticism, Illusionism and Revisionism ; 19. Galen Strawson - The Impossibility of Ultimate Moral Responsibility ; 20. Saul Smilansky - Free Will: From Nature to Illusion ; 21. Manuel Vargas - How To Solve the Free Will Problem ; X. Optimism, Pessimism and their Modes ; 22. Derk Pereboom - Optimistic Skepticism about Free Will ; 23. Paul Russell - Compatibilist-Fatalism ; XI. The Phenomenology of Agency and Experimental Philosophy ; 24. Benjamin Libet - Do We have Free Will? ; 25. Eddy Nahmias, Stephen Morris, Thomas Nadelhoffer & Jason Turner - The Phenomenology of Free Will ; 26. Shaun Nichols & Joshua Knobe - Moral Responsibility and Determinism: The Cognitive Science of Folk Intuitions

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Book SynopsisArguments that ordinary inanimate objects such as tables and chairs, sticks and stones, simply do not exist have become increasingly common and increasingly prominent. Some are based on demands for parsimony or for a non-arbitrary answer to the special composition question; others arise from prohibitions against causal redundancy, ontological vagueness, or co-location; and others still come from worries that a common sense ontology would be a rival to a scientific one.Until now, little has been done to address these arguments in a unified and systematic way. Ordinary Objects is designed to fill this gap, demonstrating that the mistakes behind all of these superficially diverse eliminativist arguments may be traced to a common source. It aims to develop an ontology of ordinary objects subject to no such problems, providing perhaps the first sustained defense of a common sense ontology in two generations. The work done along the way addresses a number of major issues in philosophy of lanTrade Review"ORDINARY OBJECTS is well worth reading because it sheds new light on how to preserve the credibility of familiar things.""In ORDINARY OBJECTS , Amie Thomasson mounts a spirited and vigorous defense of the reality of ordinary objects.""ORDINARY OBJECTS is a fine book.... [Thomasson] writes insightfully and persuasively, and she has a realistic view of what metaphysical arguments can and cannot demonstrate... she approaches metaphysical theorizing more systematically than many other recent writers, drawing attention to the ways in which questionable assumptions in one area of philosophy are undergirding seemingly powerful arguments in another. Everyone working in metaphysics should make time for this volume.""In ORDINARY OBJECTS , Thomasson pursues an integrated conception of ontology and metaontology. In ontology, she defends the existence of shoes, ships, and other ordinary objects. In metaontology, she defends a deflationary view of ontological inquiry, designed to suck the air out of arguments against ordinary objects. The result is an elegant and insightful defense of a common sense worldview.""Amie Thomasson has written a lovely book which is certain to irritate many professional metaphysicians. But it is not just irritating: it is challenging...This book would be good supplementary text for upper-level metaphysics classes or seminars in which the sorts of arguments to which Thomasson replies are also read."Table of ContentsIntroduction ; Problems of Causal Redundancy ; Analyticity and Conceptual Content ; Identity, Persistence, and Modality ; Problems of Collocation ; Problems of Vagueness ; Handling Experience Questions ; The Special Composition Problem ; Problems of Rivalry with Science ; Parsimony and Ontological Commitment ; A Coherent Common Sense View ; The Methods of Metaphysics ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisThis is a new volume of original essays on the metaphysics of quantum mechanics. The essays address questions such as: What fundamental metaphysics is best motivated by quantum mechanics? What is the ontological status of the wave function? Does quantum mechanics support the existence of any other fundamental entities, e.g. particles? What is the nature of the fundamental space (or space-time manifold) of quantum mechanics? What is the relationship between the fundamental ontology of quantum mechanics and ordinary, macroscopic objects like tables, chairs, and persons? The volume includes a comprehensive introduction with a history of quantum mechanics and the debate over its metaphysical interpretation focusing especially on the main realist alternatives.Trade ReviewThe essays target an audience of philosophers in science, but the book is also benecial for theoretical physicists. The book can be highly recommended for reader who are looking at the foundations of quantum theory. The book also provides a rich source of references also from a historical point of view. * Willi-Hans Steeb, Zentralblatt Math *This is an uncommonly good collection of essays on the metaphysical foundations of quantum mechanics. It contains work on a compelling subject from a number of the most engaging philosophers of physics, and the overall standard of clarity is exceptional. * Jeffrey A. Barrett, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *...a highly recommended book. It brings a series of problems that are typically philosophical to the domain of quantum mechanics, and does so in an accessible way. * Decio Krause and Jonas R. B. Arenhart, Metascience *... the book is an excellent and enjoyable piece of philosophy, as one gets to see a single problem attacked from many distinct and compelling perspectives. If interested in the metaphysics of the quantum wavefunction, then this collection is a great choice. * Craig Callender, The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science *Table of ContentsPreface ; David Z. Albert and Alyssa Ney ; Introduction ; Alyssa Ney ; Chapter 1. Wave Function Realism ; David Z. Albert ; Chapter 2. Primitive Ontology and the Structure of Fundamental Physical Theories ; Valia Allori ; Chapter 3. Whither Wave-Function Realism? ; Steven French ; Chapter 4. Reality and the Role of the Wavefunction in Quantum Theory ; Sheldon Goldstein and Nino Zanghi ; Chapter 5. Dimension and Illusion ; Peter J. Lewis ; Chapter 6. The Nature of the Quantum State ; Tim Maudlin ; Chapter 7. Against 3N-Dimensional Space ; Bradley Monton ; Chapter 8. Ontological Reduction and the Wave Function Ontology ; Alyssa Ney ; Chapter 9. The Structure of a Quantum World ; Jill North ; Chapter 10. A Prolegomenon to the Ontology of the Everett Interpretation ; David Wallace

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Book SynopsisIf a spinning disk casts a round shadow does this shadow also spin? When you experience the total blackness of a cave, are you seeing in the dark? Or are you merely failing to see anything (just like your blind companion)? Seeing Dark Things uses visual riddles to explore our ability to see things that do not reflect light. Shadows and holes are anomalies for the causal theory of perception, which states that anything we see must be a cause of what we see. This requirement neatly explains why you see the front of a book''s jacket and not its rear when you look at it face-on. However, the causal theory has trouble explaining how you manage to see the black letters on its surface. The letters are made visible by the light they fail to reflect rather than by the light they reflect. Nevertheless, Roy Sorensen defends the causal theory of perception by treating absences as causes. His fourteen chapters draw heavily on common sense and psychology to vindicate the assumption that we perceive Trade ReviewSorensen's book provokes thoughts about the nature and significance of seeing. His Eclipse Riddle is intriguing, as are the general questions he raises about seeing dark things. There are no easy answers to these questions. I enjoyed reading Sorensen's book, and thinking about the issues it raises. Others will too. * Richard Price, Mind *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations ; Introduction ; 1. The Eclipse Riddle ; 2. Seeing Surfaces ; 3. The Disappearing Act ; 4. Spinning Shadows ; 5. Berkeley's Shadow ; 6. Para-reflections ; 7. Para-reflections: Shadowgrams and the Black Drop ; 8. Goethe's Colored Shadows ; 9. Filtows ; 10. Holes in the Light ; 11. Black and Blue ; 12. Seeing in Black and White ; 13. We See in the Dark ; 14. Hearing Silence ; References ; Index

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Book SynopsisIn this groundbreaking study, Stephen H. Webb offers a new theological understanding of the material and spiritual: that, far from being contradictory, they unite in the very stuff of the eternal Jesus Christ. Accepting matter as a perfection (or predicate) of the divine requires a rethinking of the immateriality of God, the doctrine of creation out of nothing, the Chalcedonian formula of the person of Christ, and the analogical nature of religious language. It also requires a careful reconsideration of Augustine''s appropriation of the Neo-Platonic understanding of divine incorporeality as well as Origen''s rejection of anthropomorphism. Webb locates his position in contrast to evolutionary theories of emergent materialism and the popular idea that the world is God''s body. He draws on a little known theological position known as the ''''heavenly flesh'''' Christology, investigates the many misunderstandings of its origins and relation to the Monophysite movement, and supplements it wTrade Review... This study is refreshingly provocative and counterintuitive and undoubtedly merits attention * David Brumett, The Expository Times *those with a postgraduate-level interest in Christology in particular will benefit most from Webb's lively analysis. ... there is no doubt in my mind that this near extraordinary monograph is worthy of serious, sustained attention. Its radical claims about Jesus mean that it should not be ignored. * Terry J. Wright, Theology *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; Chapter 1: Thinking with Matter ; Chapter 2: A Brief History of the Metaphysics of Matter ; Chapter 3: Binding Matter, Unbinding God ; Chapter 4: The New Consensus about Anthropomorphism and God ; Chapter 5: What Flesh is This? ; Chapter 6: More Resources: Scotus, Schwenckfeld, and the Transfiguration ; Chapter 7: Thomas Aquinas on Relations, Personhood, and Matter ; Chapter 8: Karl Barth's Christological Metaphysics ; Chapter 9: Godbodied: The Matter of the Latter-day Saints ; Chapter 10: A Conclusion by Way of a Metaphysical Beginning

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Book SynopsisIn Basic Structures of Reality, Colin McGinn deals with questions of metaphysics, epistemology, and philosophy of mind from the vantage point of physics. Combining general philosophy with physics, he covers such topics as the definition of matter, the nature of space, motion, gravity, electromagnetic fields, the character of physical knowledge, and consciousness and meaning. Throughout, McGinn maintains an historical perspective and seeks to determine how much we really know of the world described by physics. He defends a version of structuralism: the thesis that our knowledge is partial and merely abstract, leaving a large epistemological gap at the center of physics. McGinn then connects this element of mystery to parallel mysteries in relation to the mind. Consciousness emerges as just one more mystery of physics. A theory of matter and space is developed, according to which the impenetrability of matter is explained as the deletion of volumes of space. McGinn proposes a philosophy Trade ReviewMcGinn defends structuralism in this well-argued, engaging book at the intersection of epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of mind, and physics. * CHOICE *Table of ContentsPART ONE ; Introduction: Philosophy and Physics ; Chapter 1: The Concept of Matter ; Postscript: Particles as Fields: An Objection ; Appendix One: The Uniformity of Matter ; Appendix Two: Divisibility and Size ; Chapter 2: What is a Physical Object? ; Chapter 3: The Possibility of Motion ; Chapter 4: Motion, Change, and Physics ; Chapter 5: The Law of Inertia ; Chapter 6: Mass, Gravity, and Motion ; Chapter 7: Electric Charge: A Case Study ; Chapter 8: Two Types of Science ; Chapter 9: The Ontology of Energy ; Chapter 10: Consciousness as a Form of Matter ; Chapter 11: Matter and Meaning ; PART TWO ; Principia Metaphysica

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Book SynopsisJames Van Cleve here shows why Thomas Reid (1710-96) deserves a place alongside the other canonical figures of modern philosophy. He expounds Reidâs positions and arguments on a wide range of topics, taking interpretive stands on points where his meaning is disputed and assessing the value of his contributions to issues philosophers are discussing today.Among the topics Van Cleve explores are Reid''s account of perception and its relation to sensation, conception, and belief; his nativist account of the origin of the concepts of space and power; his attempt to clear the way for the belief that the things we directly perceive are external things, not ideas in our minds; his stand on the distinction between primary and secondary qualities; his account of acquired perception, whereby we come to stand in a quasi-perceptual relation to qualities not originally perceived; his claim that visual space is non-Euclidean; his answers to the questions why we see the world right side up with invertTrade ReviewTerrific book--learned, relentlessly interesting, and astonishingly clear in its argumentation. * Rex Welshon, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs *James Van Cleve has written a delightful book on Reid. It is engaging, informative, brilliant, and compelling. * Lorne Falkenstein, University of Western Ontario *If you have any interest in Reid and have some time to spare, then read it. Even if you are not much interested in Reid but want a vivid example of how to write history of philosophy, then read this book. Even if you are not much interested in the history of philosophy but wonder whether you should be, then read this book. You will be treated to a discussion whose level of scholarship, quality of prose and argumentation, and sensitivity to Reid's problems (and ours) is exceptional. * Terence Cuneo, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews Online *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ; Introduction ; Chapter 1: Sensation and Perception ; A. Explanations of Terms ; B. Sensation versus Perception ; C. Reid's Threefold Account of Perception ; D The Conception in Perception ; E. Perception and Belief ; F. Consciousness and Attention ; G. Are Sensations Self-Reflexive? ; Chapter 2: Reid's Nativism ; A. Reid's Nativism ; B. Natural Signs ; C. The Experimentum Crucis ; D. Responses to the Experimentum Crucis ; E. Woulds, Coulds, or Shoulds? ; F. Nativism as an Antidote to Skepticism? ; Chapter 3: Direct Realism Versus the Way of Ideas ; A. The Way of Ideas ; B. First Argument for the Way of Ideas: No Action at a Distance ; C. Second Argument for the Way of Ideas: Hume's Table Argument ; D. Third Argument for the Way of Ideas: Double Vision ; E. Fourth Argument for the Way of Ideas: Malebranche's Master Argument ; F. Three Forms of Direct Realism ; G. Do Sensations Obstruct Direct Realism? ; H. Is Reid a Presentational Direct Realist? ; I. All Perception is Direct Perception ; Chapter 4: Primary and Secondary Qualities ; A. Reid's Relation to Locke and Berkeley ; B. The Real Foundation: Epistemological or Metaphysical? ; C. Dispositions or Bases? ; D. Intrinsic or Extrinsic? ; E. Fixed or Variable? ; F. Four Views that Conflict with Reid's ; Chapter 5: Acquired Perception ; A. The Mechanics of Acquired Perception ; B. Is Acquired Perception Really Perception? ; C. Are Secondary Qualities Objects of Acquired Perception Only? ; D. Does Acquired Perception Alter the Content of our Original Perceptions? ; E. Could Anything Become an Object of Acquired Perception? ; F. Is Reid Inconsistent about the Requisites of Perception? ; Chapter 6: The Geometry of Visibles ; A. The Properties of Spherical Figures ; B. Depth is Not Perceived ; C. The Argument from Indistinguishability ; D. Visibles as Sense Data ; E. Coincidence as Identity ; F. Angell's Approach ; G. The Argument of Paragraph 4 ; H. The Real Basis of the Geometry of Visibles ; I. Does the Geometry of Visibles Jeopardize Direct Realism? ; J. What Are Visibles? ; K. Direct Realism and Seeing What we Touch ; L. Visible Figure as a Relativized Property of Ordinary Objects ; M. Mediated but Direct? ; Chapter 7: Erect and Inverted Vision ; A. The Naive Puzzle and Rock's Question ; B. The Classical Solution ; C. Berkeley's Solution(s) to the Naive Puzzle ; D. Reid's Alternative to Berkeley's Solution ; E. Answers to Rock's Question ; F. Experiments with Inverting Lenses ; G. Perceptual Adaptation ; Chapter 8: Molyneux's Question ; A. Molyneux's Question ; B. Empirical Evidence ; C. Berkeley's Answer ; D. Reid's answer(s) ; E. Is Berkeley's Modus Tollens Reid's Modus Ponens? ; F. The One-Two Molyneux Question ; G. Concluding Confession ; Chapter 9: Memory and Personal Identity ; A. Things Obvious and Certain with Regard to Memory ; B. Critique of the Impression and Idea Theories of Memory ; C. Memory as Direct Awareness of Things Past ; D. The Specious Present ; E. Personal Identity ; Chapter 10: Conception and its Objects ; A. Was Reid a Meinongian before Meinong? ; B. Alternatives to Meinongism: Ideas and Universals ; C. Alternatives to Meinongism: The Adverbial Theory of Thinking ; D. A Meinongian Defense of Direct Realism ; E. Assessment of the Defense ; F. Direct Realism Redux ; Chapter 11: Epistemology 1: First Principles ; A. First Principles and Epistemic Principles ; B. A Crucial Ambiguity ; C. Clues from Reid's Discussion of Descartes ; D. Particulars Versus Generals ; E. Three Reasons for Particularism ; F. Other Minds and Natural Signs ; G. Must Principles Be General? ; H. Establishing Reliability Without Circularity ; I. Reid on Confirming the Testimony of our Faculties ; J. Can Epistemic Principles Be First Principles? ; K. The Epistemic Status of Reliability Principles ; L. Conclusion ; Chapter 12: Epistemology 2: Reid's Response to the Skeptic ; A. Direct Realism ; B. Naturalism ; C. Externalism ; D. Problems for Externalism ; E. Rationalist Alternatives ; F. Conclusion ; Chapter 13: Epistemology 3: Lehrer's Reid ; A. Must a Knower Know that his Faculties are Reliable? ; B. A Special Role for Principle 7? ; C. Faculties that Vouch for Themselves? ; Chapter 14: Theory of Action 1: Causation, Action, and Volition ; A. The Notion of Active Power ; B. Two Types of Causation ; C. Universal Agent Causation ; D. Action and Volition ; Chapter 15: Theory of Action 2: Determinism, Freedom, and Agency ; A. Two Forms of Determinism ; B. What Freedom is not: the Williwig Account ; C. What Freedom is: the Agent-Causation Account ; D. The Fundamental Dilemma for Libertarianism ; E. The Regress of Exertion ; F. The Regress of Agent Causation ; G. Anomic Explanation ; Chapter 16: Reid versus Hume on Morals ; A. Hume and Reid in the Broad Scheme of Things ; B. Reid against Hume ; C. Hume against Reid ; D. Ethics and Epistemology ; Appendices ; A. Is There Knowledge by Acquaintance? ; B. Conception and Judgment: the Chicken or the Egg? ; C. Experience as a Source of Concepts ; D. Perception as Analog Representation ; E. Byrne versus Reid ; F. Infinity and Reflexivity ; G. Externality and Extension ; H. Programming the Obvious ; I. The Sun in the Sky and the Sun in my Mind ; J. Secondary Qualities: Can We Have it Both Ways? ; K. The One-Point Argument ; L. Stereo Sue ; M. Hyperbolic Claims about Hyperbolic Geometry ; N. What Is Special about the Sphere? ; O. Is Reid's Geometry Imaginable? ; P. Forlorn Reflections ; Q. Ask Marilyn ; R. Stratton Overturned ; S. Molyneux's Question Answered after 300 Years? ; T. Relative Identity ; U. Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Reid on Abstract Ideas ; V. The First Principles of Contingent Truths ; W. Reid on the First Principle(s) of Descartes ; X. Rowe's Regress ; Y. Volition and Undertaking ; Z. Reid, Chisholm, Taylor, and Ginet ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisOver the last two decades the distinguished philosopher Philip Kitcher has started to make a serious case for pragmatism as the source of a new life in contemporary philosophy. There are some, like Kitcher, who view today''s analytic philosophy as mired in narrowly focused, technical disputes of little interest to the wider world. What is the future of philosophy, and what would it look like?While Classical Pragmatism -- the American philosophy developed by John Dewey, Charles Peirce, and William James in the 19th century-- has a mixed reputation today, Kitcher admires the way its core ideas provide a way to prioritize avenues of inquiry. As he points out, both James and Dewey shared a wish to eliminate ''insignificant questions'' from philosophy, and both harbored suspicion of ''timeless'' philosophical problems handed down generation after generation. Rather, they saw philosophy as inherently embedded in its time, grappling with pressing issues in religion, social life, art, politicsTrade ReviewPreludes to Pragmatism is an important and rewarding book. * Christopher Hookway, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *In this lively and lucid collection of essays, Philip Kitcher--one of America's leading philosophers--seeks to further the reform of philosophy inspired by the pragmatic tradition of James and Dewey. Critical of the current state of Anglophone philosophy, he develops a pragmatic naturalism that deals with some of the most pressing cultural issues of our time-including the meaning of value in contemporary society and the reconciliation of science and religion. Anyone interested in the creative potential of pragmatism for the reconstruction of philosophy today will find this insightful book invaluable. * Richard J. Bernstein, Vera List Professor of Philosophy, New School for Social Research *In articles ranging from metaphysics and philosophy of mathematics to ethics and the philosophy of religion, Preludes to Pragmatism develops and makes a powerful case for pragmatic naturalism. By drawing on, extending, and emending ideas drawn from the classical pragmatists, Philip Kitcher argues that no appeal to transcendent, non-natural entities is required to underwrite our deepest theoretical commitments, or rationalize our practices. * Catherine Z. Elgin, Harvard University *Philip Kitcher's Preludes to Pragmatism offers a radical 'reconstruction of philosophy' which aims to renew the projects of William James and John Dewey. Advocating a form of 'pragmatic naturalism,' Kitcher's aim is not simply to use pragmatist ideas as material for a more sophisticated reformed 'normal philosophy.' Rather than using pragmatist ideas to provide better solutions to familiar problems, he follows Dewey in seeking to 'liberate philosophy' from familiar questions that can now be transcended. Whether discussing atheism or secularism, race or altruism, he meets familiar views with pragmatist challenges that can change the philosophical terrain. In doing so, he contributes to the truth of his claim that pragmatism is one of the most significant developments in the history of philosophy. * Christopher Hookway, University of Sheffield *Table of Contents1. The Importance of Dewey for Philosophy (and much else besides) ; 2. The Naturalists Return ; 3. Real Realism: The Galilean Strategy ; 4. On the Explanatory Role of Correspondence Truth. ; 5. Pragmatism and Realism: A Modest Proposal ; 6. Does 'Race' Have a Future? ; 7. Mathematical Truth? ; 8. Carnap and the Caterpillar ; 9. Philosophy Inside Out ; 10. A Pragmatist's Progress: The Varieties of James' Strategies for Defending Religion ; 11. Challenges for Secularism ; 12. Militant Modern Atheism ; 13. Naturalistic Ethics without Fallacies ; 14. The Hall of Mirrors ; 15. Education, Capitalism, and Democracy ; 16. Public Knowledge and its Discontents ; 17. Varieties of Altruism

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Book SynopsisThe idea of the pre-existence of the soul has been extremely important, widespread, and persistent throughout Western history--from even before the philosophy of Plato to the poetry of Robert Frost. When Souls Had Wings offers the first systematic history of this little explored feature of Western culture. Terryl Givens describes the tradition of pre-existence as pre-heaven--the place where unborn souls wait until they descend to earth to be born. And typically it is seen as a descent--a falling away from a happier and untroubled state into the turbulent and sinful world we know. The title of the book refers to the idea put forward in antiquity that our souls begin with wings, and that only after shedding those wings do we fall to earth. The book not only traces the history of the idea of pre-existence, but also captures its meaning for those who have embraced it. Givens describes how pre-existence has been invoked to explain the better angels of our nature, including the human yearning for transcendence and the sublime. Pre-existence has been said to account for why we know what we should not know, whether in the form of a Greek slave''s grasp of mathematics, the moral sense common to humanity, or the human ability to recognize universals. The belief has explained human bonds that seem to have their own mysterious prehistory, salved the wounded sensibility of a host of thinkers who could not otherwise account for the unevenly distributed pain and suffering that are humanity''s common lot, and has been posited by philosophers and theologians alike to salvage the principle of human freedom and accountability. When Souls had Wings underscores how durable (and controversial) this idea has been throughout the history of Western thought, the theological dangers it has represented, and how prominently it has featured in poetry, literature, and art.Trade Reviewa rich, eloquent and informative monograph about the idea of the pre-existence of the soul in occidental thought. This is an important and instructive book about a very important idea, one that is presented sympathetically with great clarity and sweep. * Douglas Hedley, Theology *Table of ContentsPrologue ; Introduction ; 1. Ancient Near Eastern Traditions ; 2. Classical Variants ; 3. Philo to Christian Beginnings ; 4. Neo-Platonism and the Church Fathers ; 5. Augustine and the Formation of Orthodoxy ; 6. Middle Ages to the Renaissance ; 7. Cambridge Platonists and the Miltonic Heritage ; 8. The Eighteenth Century and the Cartesian Aftermath ; 9. Philosophy and Theology 1800-1900 ; 10. Romanticism and Transcendentalism 1800-1900 ; 11. Pre-Existence in the Modern Age ; 12. Parallel Paradigms ; Epilogue

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Book SynopsisThis book offers both a naturalistic and critical theory of signs, minds, and meaning-in-the-world. It provides a reconstructive rather than deconstructive theory of the individual, one which both analytically separates and theoretically synthesizes a range of faculties that are often confused and conflated: agency (understood as a causal capacity), subjectivity (understood as a representational capacity), selfhood (understood as a reflexive capacity), and personhood (understood as a sociopolitical capacity attendant on being an agent, subject, or self). It argues that these facilities are best understood from a semiotic stance that supersedes the usual intentional stance. And, in so doing, it offers a pragmatism-grounded approach to meaning and mediation that is general enough to account for processes that are as embodied and embedded as they are articulated and enminded. In particular, while this theory is focused on human-specific modes of meaning, it also offers a general theory of meaning, such that the agents, subjects and selves in question need not always, or even usually, map onto persons. And while this theory foregrounds agents, persons, subjects and selves, it does this by theorizing processes that often remain in the background of such (often erroneously) individuated figures: ontologies (akin to culture, but generalized across agentive collectivities), interaction (not only between people, but also between people and things, and anything outside or in-between), and infrastructure (akin to context, but generalized to include mediation at any degree of remove).Table of ContentsFigures ; Tables ; 1. Semiotic Ontologies ; 1. Signs, Minds, and Meaning-in-the-World ; 2. Ontology, Interaction, and Infrastructure ; 2. Biosemiosis, Technocognition, and Sociogenesis ; 1. Relations between Relations ; 2. Significance and Selection ; 3. Communication between Conspecifics ; 4. The Organization of Cognitive Processes ; 5. Framing ; 6. Artificial and Natural Selection, Sieving and Serendipity ; 7. Lawn-Mowers and Logic Gates ; 8. Relations between Relations Revisited ; 9. Networks of Interconnected Envorganisms ; 10. The Evolution and Epidemiology of Culture ; 3. Enclosing and Disclosing Worlds ; 1. The Neo-Organon ; 2. Semiotic Processes, Social Theories, and Obviated Ontologies ; 3. Social Statuses, Material Substances, and Mental States ; 4. Relatively Emblematic Indices ; 5. Semiotic Agents and Generalized Others ; 6. From Performativity to Transformativity ; 4. Residence in the World ; 1. From Being-in-the-World to Meaning-in-the-World ; 2. Heeding Affordances ; 3. Wielding Instruments ; 4. Undertaking Actions ; 5. Inhabiting Roles ; 6. Fulfilling Identities ; 7. From Acting Under a Description to Comporting Within an Interpretation ; 5. Representations of the World ; 1. Intentionality Reframed ; 2. Cognitive Representations ; 3. Discursive Practices ; 4. From Theory of Mind to the Interpretation of Signs ; 5. Intentionality and Emblemeticity ; 6. Selfhood, Affect, and Value ; 1. I Err Therefore I am ; 2. From Subjectivity to Selfhood ; 3. From Cognition to Affect ; 4. Maps, Terrains, and Travelers ; 5. From Meaning to Value

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Book SynopsisThis important new book is the first of a series of volumes collecting the essential articles by the eminent and highly influential philosopher Saul A. Kripke. It presents a mixture of published and unpublished articles from various stages of Kripke's storied career.Trade ReviewWhat comes out from a collection like this is the recurring brilliance of insight that Kripke brings to whatever he reflects on. This collection is indispensable to serious students of Kripke. And that should include all of us. This is a monumental collection. * Michael Luntley, Philosophical Investigations *Table of ContentsContents ; Introduction ; Acknowledgements ; Chapter 1. Identity and Necessity ; Chapter 2. On Two Paradoxes of Knowledge ; Chapter 3. Vacuous Names and Fictional Entities ; Chapter 4. Outline of a Theory of Truth ; Chapter 5. Speaker's Reference and Semantic Reference ; Chapter 6. A Puzzle About Belief ; Chapter 7. Nozick on Knowledge ; Chapter 8. Russell's Notion of Scope ; Chapter 9. Frege's Theory of Sense and Reference: Some Exegetical Notes ; Chapter 10. The First Person ; Chapter 11. Unrestricted Exportation and and Some Morals for the Philosophy of Language ; Chapter 12. Presupposition and Anaphora: ; Remarks on the Formulation of the Projection Problem ; Chapter 13. A Paradox about Time and Thought ; Index

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Book SynopsisThis comprehensive introductory guide includes discussion of the major contemporary positions on compatibilism and incompatibilism, and of the central arguments that are a focus of the current debate, including the Consequence Argument, manipulation arguments, and Frankfurt's famous argument against the 'Principle of Alternate Possibilities.Table of ContentsSeries Editor's Preface Preface 1. Free Will: The Basics 2. What Does Acting Freely Require? Some Compatibilist Views 3. Compatibilism and the Consequence Argument 4. Compatibilism, Sourcehood, and Manipulation Arguments 5. What Does Acting Freely Require? Some Incompatibilist Views 6. Frankfurt's Nefarious Neurosurgeon 7. Other Issues Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis comprehensive introductory guide includes discussion of the major contemporary positions on compatibilism and incompatibilism, and of the central arguments that are a focus of the current debate, including the Consequence Argument, manipulation arguments, and Frankfurt's famous argument against the 'Principle of Alternate Possibilities.Table of ContentsSeries Editor's Preface Preface 1. Free Will: The Basics 2. What Does Acting Freely Require? Some Compatibilist Views 3. Compatibilism and the Consequence Argument 4. Compatibilism, Sourcehood, and Manipulation Arguments 5. What Does Acting Freely Require? Some Incompatibilist Views 6. Frankfurt's Nefarious Neurosurgeon 7. Other Issues Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisSeries Editor's Foreword Preface Introduction 1. Judgement and the Emergence of Logical Realism in Britain 2. From Descriptive Psychology to Analytic Philosophy (1888-1899) 3. Psychologism and the Problem of Error (1899-1907) 4. Judgement, Propositional Attitudes and the Proposition (1908-1944) 5. Tropes and Predication Conclusion Bibliography IndexTrade Review“This book is one recent product of her work on this subject, which first saw light as a dissertation, then in a series of papers, and now appears in a revised and expanded version of her early work for the History of Analytic Philosophy series … . The perspective van der Schaar brings here is … a valuable addition to the detailed account of the early development of analytic philosophy at Cambridge.” (Consuelo Preti, Journal of the History of Analytical Philosophy, Vol. 4 (3), 2016)Table of ContentsSeries Editor's Foreword Preface Introduction 1. Judgement and the Emergence of Logical Realism in Britain 2. From Descriptive Psychology to Analytic Philosophy (1888-1899) 3. Psychologism and the Problem of Error (1899-1907) 4. Judgement, Propositional Attitudes and the Proposition (1908-1944) 5. Tropes and Predication Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsTranslator's Preface Preface to the English Edition Preface Introduction: Repetition and Difference 1. Difference in Itself 2. Repetition for Itself 3. The Image of Thought 4. Ideas and the Synthesis of Difference 5. Asymmetrical Synthesis of the Sensible Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisEriugena, Berkeley and the Idealist Tradition is a collection of original essays presented at an international conference held in Dublin in 2002 and subsequently revised in light of discussions at the conference. As Stephen Gersh and Dermot Moran explain in their introduction, this book asks the question: What do philosophers mean by idealism? According to Gersh and Moran, the question of idealism is a difficult one, not only because of the historical complexity of the term idealism as they have sketched it but also because understanding of the phenomenon is dependent upon the observer''s own philosophical persuasion. The essays in this volume take up the question of idealism in the history of philosophy from Plato, through late ancient and medieval thought, to Berkeley, Kant, and Hegel. Although there are obvious discontinuities among these versions of idealism, the degree of continuity is sufficient to justify a reexamination of the entire question.The contributors cTrade Review"This is a very rich volume and constitutes a good starting point for a discussion of the multiple meanings of 'idealism.' In particular, it teaches the lesson that broad 'philosophical' definitions should be held in deep suspicion unless tied to specific contexts of discussion and specific historical periods." —Journal of the History of Philosophy“Fourteen essays trace the concept of idealism from Plato, the Roman Stoics, Plotinus, and Augustine through to Berkeley and the age of Kant and Hegel. Three papers on the ninth-century Irish writer Johannes Scottus Eriugena and on the Liber de causis, from ninth-century Baghdad, inspired by a concern to understand the common ground between medieval Neoplatonism and nineteenth-century Hegelian idealism . . . are especially instructive for medievalists.” —Medium Aevum“All fourteen essays collected in this volume are solid pieces of scholarship, and the book as a whole is a welcome addition to the ongoing debate on the role that the history of philosophy can play in enriching our conceptual apparatus by reminding us of the complexity of our philosophical tradition. The book succeeds in reminding us that idealism is a constellation of different positions.” —The Review of Metaphysics"If it is true—as Hegel and his followers have claimed—that being and truth are indissociable from history, then philosophy cannot be successful if it limits itself exclusively to investigations of individual thinkers and periods. What is at stake, ultimately, is the development of Western thought as a whole. In this volume, a fine international group of scholars investigate the meaning of idealism across the ages. Without sacrificing nuance, their contributions show that a core of shared assumptions characterizes idealist philosophies. The historical dialogue which this volume advances emphasizes the relevance of ancient and medieval thinkers for the current debate, but it also challenges us to place modern representatives of idealism—such as Berkeley, Kant, and Hegel—in historical perspective." —Philipp W. Rosemann, University of Dallas"This is a rich, subtle, thought-provoking collection on central, though neglected topics in idealism and its history, offering fresh and important insights into both familiar and less familiar major figures, views, and issues. Most important, perhaps, are its presentation and assessment of non-subjective forms of idealism, as well as mind-dependence forms of idealism prior to Descartes. Contemporary philosophers have become sophisticated about various forms of realism, anti-realism and irrealism. Such discussions, among others, will benefit significantly by accepting this volume’s invitation to become more sophisticated about idealism as well. This very welcome contribution to the literature should find a broad readership." —Kenneth R. Westphal, University of East Anglia

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Book SynopsisThis is the fourth volume of Cassirer's "The Philosophy of Symbolic Forms". In these writings, Cassirer grounds his conception of symbolic forms on a particular notion of human nature and discusses Basis Phenomena.

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Book SynopsisIncludes essays that provide a window into author's discovery of the symbolic nature of human existence - the fact that our entire emotional and intellectual life is configured and formed through the originary expressive power of word and image.

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Book SynopsisExamines Milton's thinking about matter and substance throughout his entire poetic career, seeks to alter the prevailing critical view that Milton was a monist-materialist - one who believes that all things are composed of material and all phenomena are the result of material interactions.Trade Review“Matter of Glorious Trial engages with Milton’s work on a formidably wide range of fronts—theological, pneumatological, metaphysical, linguistic—and in doing so establishes its case convincingly, displaying a remarkable range of learning and industry.”—Colin Burrow, All Souls College, University of Oxford -- Colin Burrow

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Book SynopsisIn this volume, Davies argues for a renewal of metaphysics, as the language of createdness, based not on a return to outmoded concepts of essence, but in a new understanding of ontology as narrative and performance.

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Book SynopsisA feminist critique of the accounts of "Being" found in some of the key texts of existentialism and phenomenology, in particular Sartre, Levinas and Merleau-Ponty. Knowing the other as beloved is intimately related to a changing perception of the other of the cosmos.Table of ContentsPrologue; the wedding between the body and language; daughter and woman; to perceive the invisible in you; the love to the point of safeguarding you; I announce to you that we are different; to conceive silence; between us, a fabricated world; she before the king; each transcendant to the other; how can I touch you if you are not there?; a mystery which illuminates.

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Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of Einstein's Dreams—“an elegant and moving paean to our spiritual quest for meaning in an age of science (The New York Times Book Review). • The basis for the public television series SEARCHING with Alan Lightman.As a physicist, Alan Lightman has always held a scientific view of the world. But one summer evening, while looking at the stars from a small boat at sea, Lightman was overcome by the overwhelming sensation that he was merging with something larger than himself—an eternal unity, something absolute and immaterial. The result is an inspired, lyrical meditation from the acclaimed author of Einstein's Dreams that explores these seemingly contradictory impulses. Lightman draws on sources ranging from Saint Augustine's conception of absolute truth to Einstein's theory of relativity, and gives us a profound inquiry into the human desire for truth and meaning, and a journey along the different paths of religion and science that become part of that quest. This small but provocative book explores the tension between our yearning for certainty and permanence versus the modern scientific view that all things in the physical world are uncertain and impermanent.

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Book SynopsisMarkus Gabriel is Chair in Epistemology and Modern and Contemporary Philosophy at the University of Bonn, Germany. He has published a number of books and journal articles in German, including Der Mensch im Mythos (De Gruyter, 2006), Das Absolute und die Welt in Schellings Freiheitsschrift (Bonn University Press, 2006) and Skeptizismus und Idealismus in der Antike (Suhrkamp, 2009) and is also co-author, with Slavoj Zizek, of Mythology, Madness and Laughter (Continuum, 2009)Table of ContentsIntroduction \ Chapter 1: The Ontology of Knowledge \ i. Schelling, Hegel, and the Metaphysical Truth of Skepticism \ ii. Absolute Identity and Reflection: Kant, Hegel, McDowell \ iii. The Pathological Structure of Representation As Such: Hegel's Anthropology \ Chapter 2: Schelling's Ontology of Freedom \ i. Unprethinkable Being and the Event: The Concept of Being in late Schelling and late Heidegger \ ii. Belated Necessity: God, Man and Judgment in Schelling's Late Philosophy \ Chapter 3: Contingency or Necessity? Schelling vs. Hegel \ i. The Dialectic of the Absolute: Hegel's Critique of Transcendent Metaphysics \ ii. The Spielraum of Contingency: Schelling and Hegel on the Modal Status of Logical Space \ Notes \ Bibliography \ Index.

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